The World of Shadow
by Moonlite Streak
Summary: In a world of shadow accidentally created in a secret lab deep in Eterna Forest, there emerges two unusual heroes - a shadow girl & a pokemon boy. Together they set out to save the whole of humanity. A story of hope, of loss and of bravery. OC x OC
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

**My first fanfic, so please press that little orange button conveniently placed at the bottom of the screen and review!**

**Remember, anonymous reviews **_**are **_**enabled, which means you don't have to have an account on FanFiction to leave a comment!**

**Disclaimer reader: Moonlite Streak does not own pokemon. But she owns her OCs though! :D**

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**Chapter 1: **_The Beginning_

**-Deep in Eterna Forest-**

The girl frantically ran out of the secret lab and through the thick forest, ignoring the salty tears that lingered in her eyes. Her lush green home was slowly being stained black, as was the rest of the world. Each step was harder to take than the previous one, it would be so easy to just stop and let it catch up to her.

But Mother and Father would never want her to do that, and she had to live. They had sacrificed themselves for her to escape, and she would make sure that they would not have died in vain.

Fuelled by the desire to live for both herself and her parents, she rubbed her tears with the back of her hand and let her feet slow to a stop near a mossy rock before slowly turning around, nothing but raw anger showing in her deep brown eyes.

The crazed Rayquaza licked its blood-stained claws and stared into her determined eyes. Those scientist fools, they should have known better than to combine his legendary strength with DNA from the two deities: Dialga and Palkia.

They said it was for him to be the leader and protector of mankind and he agreed, since he was known for being the dealer of justice among pokemon, but they should have learnt that bringing those two deity's together, in whatever way, would inevitably cause darkness.

Of course, they soon payed the price for their "experimenting". All of them were dead, and soon this useless offspring will join them. He finally succumbed to the growing shadow that had grown over the past 5 weeks, fuelled by the human's ignorance of the laws of mother nature.

He finally let go of all his feelings, thoughts and memories as the darkness silently engulfed him.

She saw the almost-liquid goo slowly creep up his body, staining everything black until it eventually reached his eyes, turning them the brightest shade of blood red. It dripped from his body and wilted the flowers underneath him, turning them a midnight black.

She felt her blood run cold as the goo crept towards her feet, feeling for a new soul to taint, a fresh body to devour. As it enveloped her body all her feelings suddenly rushed back, and the small amount of hope for her survival was fading rapidly. The tears threatened to come back and overwhelm her, and her heart was frozen solid with fear.

Then it happened. The thing that would change the world forever. A bright circle of light glowed in the space between her and the first of the shadow pokemon, and she could just make out the shape of a small green-backed pokemon.

The girl stood, frozen to the spot, unable to force her aching legs to move. The goo that had managed to climb up to her knees had dissolved in the brilliant white light, leaving only the feeling of numbness and a dark stain to her light blue jeans. Streak stared into the light, her eyes searching its infinite depths for answers.

~..*..~

_Streak's POV_

I stood there, neither able to move nor to comprehend what was happening, the most confused I had been in all my fourteen years of life. A bright white light had appeared suddenly in the black wasteland that lay between me and the Rayquaza. It filled me with hope, and temporarily soothed the deep void in my broken heart. After finding that this mysterious glow did not harm my eyes in any way, I immediately scanned it for answers. And it seemed that answers are what I was going to get. A sudden gust of wind rustled through my waist long bangs and snaked underneath the short bob of hair at the back of my head.

~..*..~

_Normal (no-one's) POV_

The light engulfed everything in its path, dissolving the horrid black goo with a smell that burnt the nose. A small green backed pokemon slowly floated towards the ground, manipulating the wind to her will, and landed on top of the mossy rock. The small Shaymin cried out to the Rayquaza from atop her rock.

_Be gone, evil creature, from these forests, and take your darkness with you! I, as the protector of this forest and its inhabitants, will give you the choice to run away and never return, or to die a slow and painful death!_

The Rayquaza hissed and eyed Streak hungrily. Its hunger was anything but satisfied by the snack he made of the humans. With his new nostrils, he could smell the human girl's blood pulsing through her veins. There was a price for the added power though. He could think only simple thoughts, and it took all his restraint on not killing the girl.

Never mind about restraint, her blood smelt so fresh! And the _fear..._it was rolling off her in waves, beckoning him to sink his fangs into her soft flesh...

~..*..~

_Streak's POV_

The Rayquaza pupils turned tiny and I felt a rush of fear as it suddenly became a blur, before the small green pokemon started to move just as fast. I watched in horror, unable to help the forest protector and unable to defend myself against the blood-thirsty Rayquaza.

Before I knew it, I saw the Rayquaza grin evilly and strike at me. I scrunched my eyes tight, waiting for the inevitable contact, hearing a huge crunch, but I found the pain I expected never came. I cracked open one eye and saw a pale green mostly transparent shield in front of me, presumably a protect attack from the Shaymin.

A small spark of sharp pain blossomed on my arm, and upon pulling up my sleeve and looking at it my heart stopped beating for a fraction of a second. There was a small graze there, only one or two centimetres long, but the thing that shook me to the core was that there was a black liquid falling from it. I felt it crawl up my arm, and probe the terrible cracks deep in my heart.

It was so tempting, just to let go of all feeling and become a shadow, but before the prospect of becoming a shadow could become any more desirable, I closed my eyes and relived all the good moments of my life.

Mother humming to herself, picking flowers in front of our home and laboratory, the Old Chateau. Father smiling at me when I was five, his glasses glinting silver in Summer's light. The feel of a Buneary's fur. The taste of lava Cookie's washed down with Moomoo milk. The sweet smell of Gardenia's gym.

I felt the darkness slowly creep away, but part of it remained, strangely filling the empty void of my heart instead of enlarging it. As I opened my eyes and sighed, feeling some-what happy and certainly content, I felt a new wave of purpose rush over me. The darkness in my heart suddenly turned to a beautiful, warm, liquid light and my fingertips glowed, then my arms, then my whole body.

Bathed in this warm, pure glow I walked over to the stunned and amazed Shaymin and to the crazed Rayquaza. As I approached him, undeterred by his constant roaring and blood-thirsty eyes, he started to struggle less and by the time I came to a stop next to the great beast and laid a soft and reassuring hand on its black body it had started purring.

A rough but heartwarming purr, that eventually grew until it turned into a huge ear-splitting roar. I stroked its surprisingly soft scales soothingly, and to my surprise started turning back to a vivid green colour.

After reverting back to its original state the colossal legendary looked down on me with tender but grieved eyes. I could tell that it felt terrible guilt and shame as what it had done as a shadow pokemon and as the last of the glow retreated from my body, I smiled at it reassuringly.

~..*..~

_Shaymin's POV_

I watched as the Rayquaza lost the little control it had left and I immediately moved to protect the human girl. I used focus energy while dodging its un-precise but hugely powerful attacks. Once again its deadly fangs and their venom missed me by a hair, and even at this speed I could tell that it was learning. And fast. My left rear foot slipped on a leaf for a fraction of a second, and that's all the beast needed.

I saw it grin at the girl and relish in her fear before attempting to strike. I quickly focused the power I had built up into a tackle attack, and head-butted him away from the girl. Hopefully she didn't get hit, because even if she survived the initial wound, the shadow venom would turn her into an evil being of darkness.

And that was a fate much worse than death, as there was no known way to reverse the effects of the shadow.

I used protect to shield the human before reaching into myself and using seed flare on the Rayquaza. It looked like it wouldn't get up for a few moments so after temporarily downing the beast, I looked over to the girl to check if she was alright. I froze as she had when I looked at her arm.

There was the smallest graze, but what I was worried about was the shadow that licked around the edges. There was no way to stop it now. I just had to forget the girl and concentrate on the Rayquaza.

She closed her eyes peacefully and a small smile curved the edges of her lips. What was this madness? Even with the prospect of becoming a shadow, she seemed utterly content. As if…she was living the happiest life anyone could ever imagine, not the cold, harsh and cruel life of reality.

I sighed sadly as I watched the darkness spread to her heart. Anytime, anytime now this kind and positive girl would be lost to the shadows for the rest of eternity.

But…I gasped in amazement as a warm ethereal light flooded from deep within her body, as if the darkness had disappeared. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly in concentration as she transformed the last of the darkness into pure goodness.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at me, her face full of wonder and her now golden eyes filled with happiness and a torrent of questions. But she held them back and walked towards the crazed Rayquaza. She would be killed for sure, but when I looked at it, the closer she walked, the less it fought and by the time she reached it, it was almost…purring.

She tenderly stroked its scales and, to my utter astonishment, it started reverting back to its vivid green colour. She looked up at it and smiled reassuringly.

~..*..~

_Rayquaza's POV_

I looked at her feeling nothing but bitter sorrow and regret at what I had done and great pity for the death of both her parents.

Somehow knowing she would understand me, I let all my feelings of gratitude and happiness of being free from the dark prison fill six small words.

_Thank-you, Streak of Eterna Forest._

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**Author's note: So...who guessed the pokemon? I will be using different POV's (point of views) but don't worry, I will clearly label it. Also, italics either means that pokemon are talking to one another or telepathy is being used. Enjoy and please review!**

**-Moonlite Streak-**


	2. Chapter 2: Explanations

**Author's note: The rest of the story will be mostly in Streak's POV from this point forward. Time to clear up one very confusing plot line XD! Don't forget to comment and review ^.^**

**Disclaimer reader: Moonlite Streak does not own pokemon. But she owns her OC though! :D**

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**Chapter 2: **_Explanations_

_Streak's POV_

I blinked, then rubbed my now-back-to-normal eyes. Did that pokemon just talk? I glanced over at the Shaymin and it nodded at me. I asked the most obvious question.

_How am I able to converse with both you understanding me, and me understanding you?_

_The more pressing question right now is how are you not a shadow? _It answered back, a perplexed look crossing its features.

Cringing with the remembered feeling of the ice-cold darkness crawling through my veins, I recounted my experience with how it miraculously turned to light.

I looked down at my legs, which had come in contact with the deadly evil, remembering the horrible sensation of utter fear.

Then, remembering my graze and the shadow, I looked down at my arm in panic. I rolled up my sleeve and felt tears well up in my eyes. There was a black smudge that extended up past my shoulder and up the side of my neck.

I removed the bandanna from my neck so I could get a better view and this time Shaymin and Rayquaza saw it too. I let the tears flow freely, knowing I was doomed to become a shadow. I looked at myself in a reflective Silcoon web and held my head in my hands.

I quickly grasped at one of my bangs at the front of my head to check to see if what I saw in the reflection was true. Turns out it was. Instead of the normal black hair I woke up with that morning, I had shadow hair. There were little shadow flames, no larger than the size of my fingernail, dancing around my head.

They scared me like nothing else, even more than the thought of dying at the hands of the shadow Rayquaza. There was a sharp intake of breath from both of the legendary pokemon that stood at my side as they noticed what I saw in the reflection. They made a move to comfort me but I looked at them through my tear-filled eyes.

_Stay away from me, I don't want to hurt you! _I told them

_Its okay, _the Shaymin answered, stepping towards me. _If you're still not a shadow, then I doubt you will ever become one. But, just to be sure since nothing like this has ever happened before, I will stay by your side as your loyal partner, guarding you from yourself and others who may see your potential and may try to exploit it._

I smiled gratefully at the small green-backed creature and didn't move to stop her as she curled up beside me. Her warmth was comforting, it reminded me of better times.

The Rayquaza nuzzled his mouth in my shadow hair and in return I stroked its head. I decided that life wasn't so bad after all. This was my new family, and at that moment I made an oath to myself and every other living being, that I would cleanse the world of shadow pokemon, and live for others. Sensing my feelings and hearing my oath, Rayquaza made an oath of its own in the form of a gift.

_You have saved me from both myself and the shadow, and the least I can do is give you this in return. I'm afraid it is not much, but it is all I can do for now. Use it to call on me, anytime, anywhere. I'll always stay near you, sister._

He carefully gave Shaymin a shining green scale from his body and the small pokemon threaded a short vine through it, making a simple, but breathtakingly beautiful necklace. As Shaymin walked over to me with the necklace in its mouth, the scale span around and reflected the sun's rays in every direction.

_Please bow your head, Streak of Eterna Forest._

I did as she requested, bowing my head towards the floor as I felt her slip the cool scale around my neck. I admired it as it glittered rainbow in the sunlight before putting the light brown and white bandanna back on and tucking the beautiful scale underneath it.

Using this strange form of telepathy I had recently acquired I asked them the same question as earlier.

_How am I able to converse with both you understanding me, and me understanding you?_

Shaymin answered this one.

_I believe that in fighting of the shadow, you not only have acquired some of the powers and visual features of it, but you also acquired the power of telepathy._

I nodded in thanks for her answer before standing up and brushing down first my white sleeves, then my short light brown dress before picking up my white backpack and tightening my dark brown shoes. I stumbled out of the forest with my two guardians by my side, as my legs were still weakened by the shadow.

We walked into Eterna Town, away from the past, looking only to the future.

~..*..~

_No-one's POV_

Streak walked carefully out of the forest and into the concrete jungle of Eterna Town, supported by her two best friends and guardians, Rayquaza and Shaymin.

Talking endlessly about things like how many hairs a Ninetails have, and how many will-o-wisps a Gastly can produce at once, she desperately tried not to let her weariness show, but her companions sensed it all the same.

~..*..~

_Streak's POV_

My legs were killing me and after fighting off the shadow, my chest wasn't feeling so good either. I coughed again and tasted blood in my mouth. Oh great, just what I needed right now! But, I still tried not to let any of this show. Perhaps the shadow had done more damage than I initially thought. I think it bruised one of my right ribs when it squeezed its way up my arm and crawled to my chest.

_Why don't we rest in the Pokecenter for the night, Streak? Its starting to get dark and besides, I could do with a hot plate of food, _Shaymin suggested.

I sighed in relief when they made the decision she desperately wanted them to make. True, it was starting to get dark, but I couldn't help but feel immensely grateful towards the two green pokemon, knowing they had sensed my pain and distress.

I remembered that Rayquaza wouldn't be able to fit in the small red-roofed building, and Shaymin wasn't exactly inconspicuous. As if on cue, Rayquaza declared that he would rest in the branches of Eterna Forest for that night and that we could use the scale if we needed him before flying back off towards the way we came.

I raised my arm above my head and waved towards the rapidly fading green smudge in the distance. As I lowered my right arm back down again, I winced as pain shot through me.

Shaymin looked at me with concern written over her face, but knew better than to question me. It would be a useless effort. Instead, she used Wish on me, its power intensified by the ever-closer night.

We sat down in an alleyway close to the Pokecenter, and I looked up at the twinkling night sky as my waist glowed dimly with the power of Wish. I laid my head back on the cold stone wall and stroked Shaymin with my left arm (so it wouldn't hurt my ribs).

She cuddled up to my side for a while until the dim glow faded away completely.

My rib wasn't even close to fixed, but the Wish had at the very least helped to reduce the pain. The move was meant for surface injuries, such as cuts and scratches, not bruised bones but I couldn't complain. After all, I was alive with Shaymin at my side, and I felt happiness and gratitude once again flow through me.

As we neared the lights of the Pokecenter I knelt down and opened my backpack for Shaymin to crawl into. I followed the smell of hot food and a soft bed and walked inside the sliding blue doors.

I rarely visited Pokemon Centers, it was a treat for me to get to see the trainers and their pokemon, and the wondrous healing machine when I was younger. I walked up to the front desk, carefully holding my side but trying not to look too injured. The lovely Nurse Joy turned around and smiled at me.

"Hello, and welcome to the Pokecenter. How can I help you today?" she asked me with a sweet, genuine smile.

"If you wouldn't mind, I am in need of a bed for the night, and I wouldn't pass up a hot meal..." I hinted gently.

"Of course! Here, please hand me your Pokedex and Trainer ID Card!" She answered.

I was silent, thinking this over and scolding myself for being so brainless. Of course I would need a Trainer Card, was I stupid? Never mind, if I just explained the situation..not all of it, but enough to convince her of my need for a room.

"Er, I'm afraid that I'm not a trainer, though I have been meaning to become one for a little while now. But I live..." I turned my head away slightly.

"Sorry, liv_ed_ in a pokemon lab. Perhaps you could use my lab ID card instead? You see, I have nowhere to go, I can't risk staying out in the street for the night in case any wild pokemon came along so..." I looked at her imploringly.

She looked at me with confusion but did not question any further.

"Room 5, third room on your left. The food canteen is just upstairs, help yourself." I thanked Joy then walked to my room, trying to keep my balance and not stumble.

~..*..~

_Shaymin's POV_

Streak was definitely in pain, her lips were white with it, but she did her best not to show it. I sighed quietly to myself then looked at Rayquaza. He sighed too. It looked like the constricting shadow had hurt her more than we thought, likely cracked a rib.

But, like the positive girl she was, she shook it off and just kept talking about trivial nonsense, determined not to let us worry about her.

I interrupted her talk and suggested that we go to a Pokecenter. I could tell that she was hungry, and she looked very weary from her ordeal. I saw relief and gratitude rush through her deep and intelligent brown eyes. She coughed again, a horrible dry cough, and I hoped the constriction of the shadow wasn't a cause of it.

We walked in silence for a little further, until Rayquaza announced that he would sleep in Eterna Forest for the night, and that we need only use the scale for him to come right back to us. I could see Streak was visibly shaking from both exhaustion and pain so I directed her into an alleyway and used Wish.

I knew it wouldn't do much, but anything would help. She sat down with her back to the wall and laid her head carefully onto the cool stones. She shivered ever so slightly, though I'm not sure she even realised it herself.

I walked over to her side and curled up against her leg as she stroked me with one arm, and held her side with the other. I just closed my eyes and listened to the silence and calm that was night, until the Wish's glow had faded from Streak's waist.

She carefully got up, colour returned to her red lips though I knew it was only temporary. she unzipped her backpack and gestured for me to climb into it.

I lay in the warm darkness, her spare change of clothes making a comforting bed inside the blissfully dark pack.

The smell of hot food wafted into the small holes in the zips and how I wished for something to eat! I didn't quite realise how hungry I was until that moment.

Still savouring the mouthwatering scent, I listened to the low, muffled conversation between Streak and Nurse Joy. After attempting to strain my ears to hear what they were saying, I gave up and went back to listening to the general bustle of a Pokecenter.

I felt the backpack bounce up and down in a smooth and lulling pattern and Streak presumably walked to her room before hearing the quiet thud of the door closing and seeing bright light flood the backpack as Streak unzipped it and turned the lightswitch on.

~..*..~

_Streak's POV_

I opened the door to a small bedroom, which had a dark-brown wooden bunk-bed to the left, a matching bedside cabinet with a white lamp and alarm clock, a dark brown wooden wardrobe and a table that completed the brown, wooden set, with a small, grey computer next to it. The floor was a beige carpet, with matching beige sheets on the beds. I undid my shoes and put them over the table that was on the left side of the tiny narrow room, and carefully lay the backpack on top of the table.

I closed and locked the door that was behind me before turning on the lightswitch and unzipping the white backpack. I was greeted with a sloppy lick from Shaymin as she jumped out to greet me.

_So, what are we doing now Streak?_ She asked me with her head cocked to one side.

_I don't know, but I could sure use a rest. And... _I felt indecision cross my features as I decided whether to tell Shaymin about my rib. Oh well, I think she sensed it anyways. I took a deep breath and forced myself to continue, hating to inconvenience people.

_And, could you help me put these bandages on? I think the shadow bruised my rib..._

Shaymin looked at me with a look that said, _Finally! _As she moved towards me to help me wrap them around my waist she scolded me lightly.

_Well, it didn't take a genius to work out that you were in pain Streak, you were practically as white as a ghost with it! _

I chuckled at her before taking everything but my undergarments off and letting her wrap the bandages around me. As she gingerly wrapped them around my waist, I started to feel light-headed. I just shook it off. Must just be the tiredness.

Shaymin stepped back and admired her handiwork and I slipped my nightgown over the bandages. I thanked her kindly before picking her up and walking over to the lightswitch next to the door.

Just before I turned it off, another round of light-headedness caught me off-guard, and my throat flamed up. I looked at my now glove-less hand and watched it grow black flames. I swayed slightly and, unsuccessfully, attempted to grab the scale necklace that hung on my burning neck for help before completely losing consciousness. The last thing I heard was Shaymin shouting my name.

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**Author's note: Wow, its getting interesting now! Please comment, and constructive criticism and ideas are always welcome!**

**-Moonlite Streak-**


	3. Chapter 3: The Shadow

**Hello, not much of an author's note here, I know you want to get to the exciting bit already! But, I have to apologise for the late update becuase my computer crashed, and I was without access to internet for a little while. Well, enough with the excuses, and on with the story!**

**Disclaimer reader: Moonlite Streak does not own pokemon. But she owns her OC though! :D**

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**Chapter 3: **_The Shadow_

_Shaymin's POV_

Things happened so quickly, one minute I was resting peacefully in Streak's warm arms, and the next her eyes turned darker than the darkest shade of midnight, with not even a hint of the former chocolate brown that was there originally.

She clawed desperately at her neck before collapsing onto the ground, and at that moment I realised that she was no longer in control of the shadow that still lingered deep in her heart. A sharp smell pierced my nose, an unusual cross between rust and liquorice.

Suddenly she stood up and spread her legs wide apart with her shoulders close to the ground in a protective stance before growling a low, menacing growl.

Her arms were spread wide, and her palms faced upwards, ending with her fingers which were curled towards the ceiling in talons.

She conjured floating black flames in her clawed hands, and made to hurl them at me before a roar at the window diverted her attention.

Streak whirled around, her teeth that were flecked with shadow bared in aggression, towards the sudden interupption at the small window. With a rush of relief I saw that Rayquaza had answered the call of the necklace. The huge green dragon stopped outside the thin glass shield and looked at Streak with disbelief that quickly turned to realization, and his eyes hardened.

~..*..~

_Normal (no-one's) POV_

The shadow girl whisked around in a blur towards the new, more powerful threat. She bared her teeth at it in an act of defianceand growled at it menacingly, daring it to interrupt the current fight.

Without warning, Streak crouched down on the ground and rocked back and forth. The forest protector and keeper of justice exchanged worried glances before the smaller of the two cautiously approached the lost girl.

~..*..~

_Streak's POV_

My limbs ached with raw power, and my head split in half trying to contain it. It horrified me that just a few short moments ago I was relishing the thought of killing one of my best friends. Following my instincts, I crouched down on the ground and wrapped my arms around my legs to restrain the leaping shadow inside of me, but even then I still shifted to and fro.

I felt my eyes turn black, then golden, then back to brown and then black again, in a never-ending sequence that lasted for eternity. I kept losing consciousness before going through the agonising physical and mental change of turning from human to shadow. Every shift to and back from the darkness was pure torture, and I wasn't sure if I could stand it much longer.

I could only think basic thoughts, and before I knew it, I was screaming with the pain of the shift, and I was shadow once more. A prisoner in my own body, I could faintly hear Shaymin calling my name, and I was dimly aware of her trying to approach me. Pushing away the burning pain, I shifted once more, sobs racking my weary body and shadow worming its way through my veins.

_Stay away from me! _I begged Shaymin and Rayquaza through choking sobs that quickly turned to high hisses and low growls.

I clutched at my heart and the liquid goo that was suffocating it, and tried again to push it away from me. It was so hard to stop the unforgiving darkness, but I had done it before, so I would do it again.

I managed to down it for a little while, before I lost my concentration when I looked into Shaymin's green, comforting eyes and it overtook me again. I felt myself rip through the wooden frame of the bed like it was tissue paper.

~..*..~

_Shaymin's POV_

_Stay away from me! _She begged us before hissing tauntingly at me as she quickly lost control of the relentless shadow again.

I backed up a couple of steps but didn't stop calling her name. She turned to look at me with staggering speed, and she could easily have killed me that moment, but her eyes betrayed her shadow appearance, looking at me with love and longing.

My voice faltered for a moment or two when she shredded the sturdy, wooden bed frame like it was nothing, but I soon started up again, fuelled by the small spark of recognition that lay buried under layers of pain deep in Streak's black eyes.

Not able to bring myself to harm the human I now thought of as a friend, but unable to prevent the shadow from taking her place, it was all I could do to just shout her name and hope that some better plan would come to me.

I looked at Rayquaza who lingered outside of the window, watching on helplessly, before feeling confusion at his sudden change of emotion. I looked back over to Streak and felt my face change too, when I saw that her frantic eyes had ceased their darting, and that she no longer retained her protective fighting stance, and that she was smiling in amazement, not just at me and Rayquaza, but at herself.

~..*..~

_Streak's POV_

As the shifts became less and less frequent, and I was able to think more clearly for longer periods of time, I started to feel my way around my changed body, as much as I dared before I changed back to human. I found that, with a lot of effort, I could move my fingers while in shadow form.

My joyous thought was interrupted with the agony of changing and I found myself panting with the effort it had taken. It was like trying to push a cement clock the size of Mount Everest, when I was the size of an ant.

Eventually, little by little, and through blindingly hot pain, I managed to regain the control of most of my body, before I once again reverted back to human form. The shadow I had managed to push back immediately started to attempt to regain ground, and it was hard work keeping it from smothering me completely, let alone drive it from my body completely.

One time I changed to shadow form, I could nearly move all of my limbs, and the next I could do nothing at all. Fear gripped me when, for the third time in a row, I lost control and nearly threw a flame orb at Shaymin.

Then, after an eternity, the spasms of shifting finally slowed to a stop and I was left standing in the middle of the room, looking at myself and at my two friends in amazement. I decided that I would succumb to the shadow willingly, but not completely.

Little by little I let the shadow first take over my main torso, then my neck and upper arms and eventually my whole body, but although my head was swirling with blackness, I found that I was totally in control of my body.

My bare feet were amazingly nimble and agile for all the power they possessed, and I found that I could alter the size and intensity of the shadow orbs that floated in my fists.

I experimented with my speed, darting around the room and with my strength, easily mangling what remained of the twisted bed frame. I closed my eyes and pushed the shadow away, before opening them again and finding that I was back to human form.

This was going to be interesting.

~..*..~

_Moon's POV_

I ran a sweaty hand through my thick, black, spiky hair, idly wondering where I could get it cut before sighing for the millionth time. Being a shadow hunter was stressful and usually lonely, and the increase in shadow numbers lately wasn't exactly helping my mood.

Due to various circumstances (such as the rumour of a shadow legendary, previously unheard of in the shadow-hunting world,) I had been forced to spend the night at Eterna City's pokecenter. I heaved myself off the bed and I walked slowly over to the small mirror to stare at myself tiredly.

The reflection of a 15 year old boy stared back at me intently, perfectly normal albeit for the two Umbreon ears that flopped about on my head and the faint, luminescent yellow rings that were barely noticeable on my cheeks, but were still there. I continued searching my almost black eyes that hid a hint of crimson red.

At this I smiled, because my sister would always say that my eyes were one of my finer features, if I were hoping to attract any girls. Not that I had any hope of that, I had given up long ago.

I guess it was sort of a routine now, drilled into me continuously by my ever persistent and outrageously stubborn little sister. I felt a slight pang of anxiety at the thought of my young and naive sister.

She had a big mouth that tended to get her into a lot of trouble, and she wore her heart on her sleeve you could say, which meant that voiced everything that she thought. I hoped with all my heart that she was safe in Celestic Town, where I hid her with some retired shadow-hunters for fear the shadows may harm her, seeking revenge against my anti-shadow actions. The shadows hadn't approached there yet, and I theorised that it was because if the ancient ruins that were the heart of that town. Whenever you enter them you can just _feel_ the raw magic and power.

It had been two whole, long months since I heard from that boisterous 9 year old last, and it was starting to worry me.

Trying to think of anything but her, I inspected my eyes once more and I wasn't surprised to see two dark bags appearing to form under them. I hadn't exactly had too many nights good sleep lately, what with all the shadows appearing left and right.

And to top it off, since this whole official 'shadow resistance' thing was still fairly recent, none of us even know how to defeat a shadow! The best we can do is temporarily disarm it while we evacuate citizens and passer-bys, but we can't seem to kill or even harm them!

These thoughts still running through my head, I was about to turn off the light and call it a day when I heard screaming from the room opposite mine. Luckily, there were no other rooms that were occupied as it was a week-day, and the metal doors that connected the dorms to the main pokecenter were closed to prevent thieves from entering during the night, so this also meant that no-one would hear what was going on.

Suddenly the scent of shadow hit my nose and I wrinkled it up in distaste. With my super sensitive eyes, I could see the normally invisible shadow scent snake its way under the door and billow around the room like smoke. Though it was harmless, simply a scent, I felt my adrenaline race at the sight of it.

Another scream made me turn my head around to the source of the noise, which was plainly a girl's voice. I turned my attention to the task at hand. The girl needed to be evacuated from here safely while I distract the shadow, before I erase her memories from today with my telekinetic powers.

Another advantage of being a half-pokemon - I inherit some of the powers and visual traits of the pokemon whose DNA is implanted inside me. I for example can use a version of shadow ball, with I form in-between my two hands. I also have super sensitive/amplified hearing and I have excellent vision due to the fact that Umbreon are able to see in the dark.

The screams intensified as I quickly slipped on my shoes to complete my costume, which consisted of a white inner T-shirt, a black outer T-shirt, black fingerless gloves with white trim on the edges, black trainers with white soles and a belt that hung low on my waist which held my pokeballs.

These clothes were all made from a special material, which helped to repel shadow attacks and increase speed, so I had to (or more like I was forced) to wear them at all times. Bosses orders. Unfortunately the ultra balls that hung at my belt were empty at that moment, because I had left all my pokemon with Nurse Joy. Great.

Silently cursing my foolishness I grabbed my black backpack and slung it over my left shoulder before thrusting the doorknob open with my free hand and running into the next room. Although I have to admit, that while I was prepared for the worst, I wasn't prepared for what I saw.

~..*..~

_Normal (no-one's) POV_

The boy with Umbreon ears burst through the door before pausing and staring in disbelief at the scene before him. There was a Shaymin on the floor, a Rayquaza out the window but most importantly there was a girl in a nightdress with a shadow flame floating in her hand. The two teenagers stared at each other for a long moment before they said two things, exactly in sinc.

"You're a pokemon?"

"You're a shadow?"

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**Author's note: Ooh, a cliffie! Well at least I finally introduced a new character to the plot.**

**This chapter may have been pretty boring but I really needed to introduce Moon nice and thoroughly, or you would have had to endure it later on. *evil gleam in eyes* **

**Please comment and review, it means a lot to this poor old author! And here is some info about the retired shadow hunters who are looking after Moon's sister. They aren't old because shadow's have only been appearing for 3 months at best.**

**Basically they retired after they were badly injured in a fight with a shadow. They are only about 20, and while they are not strong enough to be on the front lines, they are more than capable of defending themselves against a shadow attack if need be.**

**-Moonlite Streak-**


	4. Chapter 4: The Encounter

**WHOOOT! 10,000 WORDS!**

**Hey guys, I'm back with another update! Please keep commenting, it really gives you the motive to push that bit further, to write that extra couple of lines. Brace yourselves for my longest chappie yet! ;) Nearly 4,000 words long!**

**Disclaimer reader: Moonlite Streak does not own pokemon. But she owns her OC though! :D**

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**Chapter 4: **_The Encounter_

_Moon's POV_

I felt like mentally slapping myself across the face! How could I, the level-headed thinker Moon, forget to cast a concealing spell on my ears! Sure, I should technically do one for my rings as well, but since its in an artificial light you can't really see them all too clearly.

But that didn't really matter anyways, not in the face of what I was stood before now - this shadow girl! I felt my blood run cold at the thought. Up until this point, only pokemon had been affected by this phenomena. Could it now jump species? Was she a test subject? Different theories raced around my head as I analysed the situation.

When I had walked in she was stood normally (if anything a little bit lazily), her face bright with a huge grin and a shadow orb floating serenely in her hand. No sooner had she blurted out her sentence it was as if she lost control, her body hunching over before she straightened back up again and growled quietly. She cast a mind-blowingly quick glance towards me and flared her nostrils as she sensed my hostility towards her.

I felt great pain and sorrow at the fact that this girl had been possessed by a shadow, as she couldn't have been any older than myself and surely unable to fight it off. Instinctively she slipped into a lower stance, a second shadow orb lighting up in her other hand.

Her eyes betrayed a flickering of emotion, a small spark of uncertainty, and my hopes of her not being totally possessed increased. While her body continued to show wariness of my presence and certain basic animal-like qualities, I could see that she was at least partly in control of her actions.

~..*..~

_Streak's POV_

I almost laughed out loud as I blurted out the statement, I mean, what would his thoughts be when he walked in on an unstable shadow girl, two legendary pokemon and a mangled bed? But I soon sensed that he wasn't just an ordinary boy. No, he had a much greater power. My instincts were screaming at me to attack him and the hostility was rolling off him in waves.

Before I could stop myself I had shifted, barely in control of my great power, and without my knowing I had unconsciously conjured a second shadow orb. A low growl slipped from my lips, surprising myself, as I thought I had finally mastered the control for this body.

It seemed like I would have to make do with what I had, which meant trying to the best of my abilities to stop myself harming him or anybody else.

My shadow eyes whirred across the room at a speed which was supposed to be way too fast for a normal human mind to comprehend. I suddenly felt unsure of myself, and what I would do in this body. Could I really control it?

The longer I tried to prevent myself from moving, the harder it was to even keep simple, basic thoughts in my head. I couldn't hold out for much longer, but the scent he gave off...it was threatening. He was unafraid, just following routine. Just who was he? That last question spun over and over in my mind as I finally lost the last fragments of control I had remaining.

~..*..~

_Moon's POV_

Assuming my defence stance with the fluidness and ease that came only with hard, yielding practice, I carefully circled around the girl, tensed for any sudden movement. I could see the intense battle raging in her eyes, the way she relaxed and then tensed again.

Suddenly her eyes turned pitch black and she smiled a grin full of needle sharp teeth, dripping with shadow saliva. My gut twisted with the unease of the knowledge that I would have to attack her sooner or later.

Her black lips stretched even wider, contorting into a blood-curdling scowl. Her eyes were wide open, unblinking, whizzing with an unnatural speed around the room and focusing on myself. Just as I was hoping that she - or it - would decide to surrender, she leapt at me.

I immediately raised my arms in a cross in front of my head just in time to defend myself against her blow, but she clung onto them with those twisted hands and tried to bite my wrist. I pushed her off with a considerable amount of force, taking the time to note the way that she shifted her weight to her left foot when she landed before jumping sideways to avoid a shadow orb that nearly grazed the tip of my left ear.

I held my hands out in front of me as if I was cradling the air and I slowly concentrated to conjure a decently-sized shadow ball. She seemed entranced by this, as anyone would be I suppose, so I took the opportunity to take quick aim and launched it against her ankles. She jumped to the right to dodge, and I almost smiled at how simple it was to take her out.

Because she jumped to the right, it was her _left _ankle that was clipped by the shadow ball. Even though it barely touched her, the force I launched it with managed to at the very least make her twist it, at most sprain it. From that point forward in the battle she kept wavering on her left foot a little after every move, and her attacks were certainly slowed.

Unfortunately it would take more than that to discourage her. Her animalistic tendencies seemed to leave no room for thoughts of personal injury, and with having to mirror her moves in order to avoid being hit, I was already starting to feel the first signs of perspiration running down my cheekbone and dampening the fringes of my hair.

My legs were starting to ache from leaping around and keeping up with her nimble attacks, but I couldn't afford to lose my footing for even a fraction of a second.  
That's all that it would take for her to take me out. I couldn't let that happen under any circumstances, I couldn't even begin to think of the expression that would dawn on my little sister's face when they told her that I'd...no, anything but that.

I tried not to let my raging torrent of emotion show on my face and I barely succeeded. If the shadow girl had sensed the weakness in my heart then she would exploit it, twisting truths into lies to fill my soul with darkness, and I would be dead, or even worse a shadow!

I quickly chanced a look at the Shaymin that stood, eyes transfixed on our movements, next to the scraps of wood that remained of what I presume was once a bed. She seemed to almost be glowing...I soon regretted wasting the time though, as the moment I flicked my head back to the girl she was gone. The next thing I knew she was breathing her shadow stench down my neck, sending shivers down my spine.

I could envision her crazed, bloodthirsty grin as she prepared to lunge, but I wasn't about to hand her the pleasure of my blood on a silver platter. I darted to the side at lightning speed, but it wasn't fast enough to prevent her fangs sinking deep into my shoulder. Well, at least it wasn't my neck but damn it, it hurt!

Staggering back, temporarily blinded by the pain, she took the chance to loose a few shadow orb flames at me, a couple at my unprotected stomach and one at my injured shoulder. I forced my eyes open just in time to see her make a lunge for my neck once more before she stopped in mid-stride. My eyes widened at the sudden lack of movement, and I linked the little green-backed pokemon. Wincing at the way my shoulder wound pulled when I moved it even slightly, I slowly made my way over to the Shaymin.

It seemed that the glow I had imagined before was actually real, and it seemed to be...restricting the girl? Well, in a way. Her frenzied eyes continued to feverishly scan the room and she kept growling and hissing at me, but if you ignored those facts she could almost pass as a statue. I sat down carefully next to where I had dropped my backpack earlier and inspected the gaping gash in my shoulder.

It appeared that her teeth had literally been ripped out of it when I jumped out off the way, because there were long, pronounced lines that were much deeper than the rest of the wound that stretched from my armpit all the way to the bottom of my shoulder blade.

It was much longer and deeper than I first suspected, and I gnawed my lip nervously while I contemplated what to do with it. Well my clothes were shredded at the very least. Boss was gonna get mad at me for that one. I was intensly glad that I wasn't the one that would have to bring her the news that I would need my third set of T-shirts _this month_. And the fact that she was quite the fashion oriented woman didn't exactly help.

"_Don't. Panic. Keep. Calm." _I told myself. I had a tendency to wonder about irrelevant things like what would happen when boss found out about my shredded clothes and and and...

"_There you go again_" I scolded myself.

Sighing, I inspected the gash carefully while trying to ignore the blood soaked edges of my torn shirt. I tasted something metallic in my mouth and I stopped chewing my lip, before I managed to eat any more of it. Turning back to the wound I had to suppress a gag at the mere sight of it.

There must have been something in that shadow venom to prevent it from clotting. As a result, the blood just kept flowing freely. Luckily for me though, it seemed that no trace of shadow had managed to get into it. Surprising considering the percentage of shadow content within shadow-girl's salvia. Speaking of which...

Shaymin had released her from the spell and the girl was now sleeping peacefully on the floor. Apart from a few scratches, bruises and a swollen left ankle, it seemed like she was a perfectly normal girl who had had a perfectly normal day. I glared at Shaymin.

"Why did you release her from your spell? She could still be hostile for all we know! She could wake up this very second and attempt to rip my throat out!" I demanded.

Shaymin flinched slightly but smoothed her features back down. She simply gestured at the softly glowing green scale necklace that lay in the hollow in the girl's neck, moving in time with the rise and fall of her chest. It glittered all the colours of the rainbow, and even as a guy I could see its raw beauty.

_I have now imbued that necklace with the power to call forth the power of nature, in other words, harness my binding spell when it is needed. Do not fret Moon of Snowpoint, it will help to restrict the shadow from overcoming her again for a while. _She answered in a voice that sounded as gentle as a rustling breeze.

Shaymin seemed distracted, and through the window I watched as a large green pokemon flew off into the distance. I rubbed my eyes – perhaps I was seeing things?

I sighed and noticed that the blood was now running down my arm and starting to spill onto my crossed legs. I wondered if the talking Shaymin had any healing powers and it was then I realised the abnormality of the situation.

"Wait you talk? And wait...how did you know my name? I never mentioned it to you." I asked in surprise.

_Yes I talk, and as a legendary I usually know a person's name. _She remarked with a wry smile, this time in a slightly less than polite voice.

My answering comment was interrupted by the soft groans of the girl waking up. I looked over to the Shaymin nervously before sitting up in a straighter position and placing a blank but slightly tensed mask on my features. What if she would try to kill me or the Shaymin? I wouldn't have any time to react since she was at such a close range.

I held my breath and wove my fingers restlessly into the thick carpet as she slowly pulled herself into a sitting position similar to mine while stretching her arms out to the sky. She yawned, all traces of those deadly dagger teeth gone and a faint pinkness creeping onto her cheeks as she woke up.

After about half a minute she stopped midway through her stretch to stare at me blankly before blushing madly. I have to admit, the sight of her surprised face amused me to no end, and I struggled to keep my carefully constructed mask neutral.

But her blushing in turn made me blush and I turned my head away, cursing myself for my stupidity. Though I did sneak a peek at her from behind my too-long fringe and noticed her looking at my shoulder wound intently, as if wishing it to go away.

"Don't worry, it doesn't hurt." I told her, probably more for myself for anyone else though.

"Here, let me look at it," She asked with a kind smile, completely the opposite to the bloodthirsty opponent I was facing just moments ago. I opened my mouth to apologise for my misjudgement but decided against it.

I made a move to stop her touching my agonising wound but stopped because of a warning glare from Shaymin.

_She feels guilty, can't you see that?_ Shaymin told me.

_Just let her try and repay you OK?_

At this I nearly rolled my eyes but stopped at the sight of hers. There were tears silently rolling down her face as she tenderly probed the edges of the gash with her cool fingers. I guess she felt worse than I originally thought. I resisted the urge to wince and push her away as she probed deeper into the wound and finally she pulled away and sat back up, the movement of which causing her bangs to brush my face. I blinked once, twice, then shook my head slightly and turned my attention back to her.

"Hi, I'm Streak," She said, tilting her head slightly to one side, smiling and holding her hand out.

"Moon," I said gruffly, maybe a bit too gruffly judging by the hurt in her warm chocolate eyes. I instantly felt guilty and so I looked away again. I could tell that she wanted to help me.

"So...are you gonna bandage me up or not?" I asked a bit softer as I sneaked a glance at her face. My question seemed to provoke the right sort of response as her face lightened up.

I shook her still-outstretched hand gently, and felt the first stirrings of a new friendship begin to form.

~..*..~

_Streak's POV_

From that point forward it was all a blur. Me, darting back and forth across the room. Him, loosing a shadow ball while I stared in wonder. I vaguely remembered the pleasure of tearing flesh with my fangs before it was ripped from me, my teeth sliding down his back.

Finally, I remembered a thousand vines reaching up and winding themselves around my limbs, my torso, rendering the possibility of continuing the battle impossible. The endless green vines moved so fast they were a blur, making them look as if they were glowing. The last thing I thought was thank god for Shaymin, as she released me from her bind and I gave in to exhaustion, falling, falling into the deep pits of sleep.

Even though my body was shut down, my mind was far from it, a million thoughts and feelings keeping me thinking over and over like a clockwork. The most dominant feeling was regret for the pain I caused to the boy, and not too far behind was anxiety, for what would happen next.

Even though I felt like I was going to fall apart and my ankle was throbbing terribly, I wrenched myself from the grasp of sleep and carefully opened my eyes.

I didn't know how long I was out for, but judging from the amount of light that snuck through the curtains compared to how much was there at the end of our tremendous battle it couldn't have been overly long. I heaved myself into a sitting position and stretched my arms out towards the ceiling, hoping to crack some of my aching joints. I felt myself yawning and I briefly wondered just how much sleep I actually got, because I still felt just as exhausted as before.

Cracking open one eye, I stopped mid-stretch. That Umbreon boy was looking at me. Looking at ME! He was so close I could smell his faint Umbreon scent, which smelt like grass and trees and mountainside and...eep! He was just so close! Ack, I'm really shy to strangers...and yet he seemed slightly amused.

My eyes opened wide with surprise, and I felt my face flush red with emotion. Ah why did that have to happen at a time like this? Shaymin almost seemed to be smirking. It was then though that I noticed his shoulder wound. I felt all my breath gush out of my mouth with a _whoosh_ as I tried to comprehend just how I had done so much damage. I felt so guilty, I just wish it would go away and I could make Mr. Umbreon feel better.

"Don't worry, it doesn't hurt." he said quietly, almost to himself. I noticed he had turned his head away from me, probably in disgust. Just how did he see me? Did he see me as my shadow, or did he see just a normal human girl? I would hazard a guess that it wasn't the latter. Why did I have to do this to him? He must be in so much pain right now!

I felt my tears cascade down my face, so I bit my lip to try and prevent him from noticing. Why was I so weak? Why couldn't I be like my Mom? She was so brave and kind, she would know what to do. Maybe I could take a look and see how to stop the insane bleeding. I knew a little first aid after all.

"Here, let me look at it," I said, smiling and keeping calm surprisingly well. Why was I smiling? I shouldn't be smiling. I guess I just wanted to make him feel better, after all, he did look as though he felt quite guilty. Not that I knew why. He seemed to want to say something but quickly shut his mouth.

I gingerly leant over his shoulder, my bangs nearly touching his face, my fingers carefully feeling the still bleeding wound. Maybe Shaymin could stop the bleeding at the very least, but not even stitches could close up the gaping hole. I felt really sick and lightheaded because of the blood, but I forced myself to snap out of it, after all, it must hurt him a lot worse than I.

After what seemed like eternity I pulled myself up and held out my hand. His composure slipped slightly as I sat up but he quickly regained himself.

"Hi, I'm Streak," I said politely, introducing myself.

"Moon," he answered, nearly grunted. I felt my hand retract towards me slightly and the tense aura that surrounded him was almost tangible. Yes, that proves it, he definitely hates me. He looked away again, probably in fear of me ripping his face off. Or something like that.

"So, are you bandaging me up or not?" He asked, with a slightly lighter tone. I saw him peek from behind his fringe at me, and I was relieved to see that his expression was not one of disgust, or even fear, but simply of apology and a hint of a blush. Ah, I must have been wrong about him! Maybe he does like me after all! Intensely happy after my realisation, I couldn't help but smile, and that smile only grew as he shook my still-outstretched hand.

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**Author's note: Aw, cute! OK so just to recap: **

_italics no speech marks_** are telepathy, **

"normal and speech marks"** is speaking out loud and **

_"italic and speech marks"_** is talking to self, in one's own mind. **

**Ooh, can you guess who the boss is? But it won't be revealed until Streak actually meets her in person. **

**By the way, just in case you don't understand, Streak goes through an actual physical transformation when she shifts into a shadow and that's the main reason for it hurting so much. **

**Her teeth turn into needle sharp spikes, her fingers elongate immensely, her eyes turn pitch black, her lips look like they have black lipstick on, her saliva turns black and the smudge of shadow on her neck starts glowing in an ancient pattern, such as that of the Unknown for example. Ah don't forget to comment!**


	5. Chapter 5: Introductions

**Author's note: Basically, my excuse is that life got in the way. But, lately I finally gathered myself together and forced myself to sit down and write this out! :D I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer reader: Moonlite Streak does not own pokemon. But she owns her OC though! :D**

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**Chapter 5: **_Introductions_

_Moon's POV_

I winced for the umpteenth time and I involuntarily let a hiss slide from between my teeth. Immediately, I saw the girl's back stiffen in response to my thinly veiled discomfort and I cursed myself for letting her notice. I felt her stop her ministrations and, as a result of the sudden lack of tension, the bandages slipped slightly, chafing my already raw nerve endings.

I growled again, forgetting about the girl for a moment before remembering to compose myself, aware that Streak was already in a considerable amount of distress, and that she didn't need me to add any more to her list of worries right now.

The girl was barely a breath behind me, the both of us sitting with crossed legs on the floor as she gingerly reached around my torso to try her best to bandage the gash. I could feel her hesitant breath against my neck as she contemplated how to continue. We weren't gonna get anyway at this rate.

I sighed and tilted my head back towards her, wincing again at the slight spasm of pain the movement caused. Now I could see the hesitance marked clearly in her face and posture. The girl was so fragile; simply my being in pain was giving her distress. She should know that it's not her fault! Geez, I never was good with _feelings_. Or words in general. I cleared my throat somewhat to get her attention.

"Um, hey, uh...Streak, I understand that this may take a while, but I ain't got all day you know," I called roughly, though the slight hint of worry that somehow leaked into my voice ruined the act a little.

My jibe seemed to create the intended effect. Streak raised her head from its previously bowed position and a small quirk returned to the edges of her lips. Obviously she had realised that I was just trying to cheer her up, and that I didn't really intend any offense with my words. She even chuckled a little before returning to her work, a slight crease of concentration once again etched between her eyebrows as she focused fiercely on the task before her.

Strange, I thought, how much things had changed in just a few short minutes. As gentle as she seemed, she was obviously unstable, the shadow possessing her whenever she sensed immediate danger. Or in this case, a shadow hunter, myself.

The next few minutes were spent in a companiable silence, Streak's rhythmic motions lulling me into a calm and contemplative state. My pokegear should still function normally, as I had left it back on my bed in my haste to discover the source of the shadow scent. I would have to call the boss and consult her on how to proceed, evidently when they had made the rule book they hadn't factored in my situation. A half-shadow huh? But she's just a girl, younger than even myself, she doesn't deserve this.

"Moon?" Streak's voice, soft and reassuring, roused my consciousness from its panicking state. I fought the sudden urge to laugh. Life was so unfair. I sighed softly, the change in my breathing barely perceptible.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Not. What will happen to her? How did she become a shadow? I really have to contact the boss. Oh hell, she's gonna chew me out big time for sure! This was supposed to be a simple reconnaissance mission, investigate and inform, risk and injury free.

Streak had apparently picked up on my stress.

"No you're not." Immediately her cheeks took on a red tinge. I found myself amused at her shyness.

"That's what Father would say when something went wrong in the lab. Mother said that nobody ever means it when they say it." Her large, doe eyes immediately shimmered with unshed tears. Aw hell, I made her cry! Shaymin gave me the Evil Eyes. I glared back. Geez, what am I supposed to do about it?

Streak had finished the bandaging by now, and I rotated my arm tentatively, avoiding eye contact. My sister had always complained that I was socially awkward.

"You did a good job," I began tentatively, feigning nonchalance. She looked at me inquisitively, obviously asking for further clarification.

"On the bandages." A sound that sounded way too similar to a chuckle drifted through Shaymin's telepathic link. I huffed irritatedely.

"You did a good job on the bandages, alright?" I coughed slightly to cover my unease. I turned my head minutely, gauging her reactions in my peripheral vision. Good, her lips had a slight uplift to them. I continued.

"Who taught you first aid? They must be very apt at what they do."

There was silence as Streak's smile froze in place, a contradiction to the sudden tension that now graced the room. Dammit, what did I say this time? The girl eyes began filling once again with tears, but to her credit not one strayed. My stomach tightened when she started blinking rapidly. Against my better judgement, I began talking again, with no idea of what I hoped to achieve.

"No, wait, don't answer that, geez, if I'd known you'd react this way I wouldn't of said anything, and I'd have kept my foolish mouth shut." Great, you made this girl cry. Again.

"Aw no, don't cry,-"

"It was my parents." Her soft murmur interrupted my babbling. Her expression had been locked into place, smile still frozen and yet the tears didn't fade.

"They were scientists, dedicated to finding new ways to help and heal. We lived in the Old Chateau, in the Eterna Forest." I still hadn't moved from where I was. Hesitantly, I reached over to her, and wrapped my arms around her slim body awkwardly. The shooting pain in my arm had reduced to a dull throbbing, and I ignored the burning protest it gave.

Streak sniffed once, twice, then sighed and I knew the worst was over. I patted her back and pulled away, just in time to catch a glimpse of her tomato-red face. I nearly chuckled at her expression, and bit back the urge to comment on the effects of my illustrious charms.

"Thanks." Her face had returned to normal, the rosy tinge to her cheeks the only indication of what had happened previously.

"Uh, you're welcome? I guess," Ah yes, with the elegance of a Rhydon. As conversational as ever Moon. I needed to know what was going on here. And I needed to contact the boss. While I'm at it, I guess I need a new shirt to. I scowled to myself. Damn.

She noticed my glare at said torso and bit her lip.

"Is your arm okay? Is it hurting you? I'm truly sorry; do you need me to do anything for you?"

Now look what you've done, you've gone and made her worried. Real smooth Moon, real smooth.

"No, like I said, you did a great job bandaging it." I hurriedly moved on, keen to move the topic of conversation to a safer subject.

"I was wondering if I could speak to Shaymin for a moment. Privately." I tacked on with a slight smile as an after-thought, to take the unintentional bite out of my words. I knew that I didn't really need to be alone to speak to the fluffy green ball, given that Shaymin seemed to have a nifty little skill called telepathy, but all the same, Streak looked like she could do with a rest, and I didn't want to stress her out more than necessary.

"Of course." Her statement was immediately followed by a yawn. I was right on the money. "I think I might go to sleep then." We turned simultaneously towards the mangled mess of wood that was previously a bunk bed. Ah.

"You know..." I could feel my face already heating up. "You could just take my bed. Third room on the right, here are the keys." I turned abruptly and held out the aforementioned keys, silver flashes that chimed gaily in the silence that followed my outburst. My outstretched arm screamed in protest, so I lowered it back to my side when she objected to the courtesy.

"No, no, I certainly couldn't take your bed, I mean, just look at your shoulder! I'll be fine!" She explained, but her wince did not escape my notice.

I huffed; did she have to be so selfless? Besides, I had suffered much worse than this before the resistance took me in.

"So where will you sleep?" I answered.

"Where will _you_ sleep?" She shot back immediately. Damn, she's good.

_And they say chivalry is dead._ Shaymin interjected in a sing-song voice. Not what I needed right now. I could feel a headache coming on.

I huffed again and took a step towards her, breaching the space between us.

At this rate, none of us would get a good night's sleep. I took her hand and placed the keys in her palm. Somewhere in the back of my mind I noted that her nails were no longer the hellish claws they were during the shift. The keys jangled innocently as they changed possession.

I ran my fingers through my thick hair, a habit of mine when I was stressed or tired. At that moment, I was both.

"Where do I go now," Streak whispered, biting her lip gently and looking down at her bare feet. We both knew that she wasn't referring to the sleeping arrangements.

"I have friends in the resistance; they will know what to do. For now, at least, we will travel to the HQ in Hearthome City. I know of a shortcut that will cut days off our journey, and doesn't require us to go through Mt. Coronet." I suggested. The boss would no doubt take her in, she was nothing if not generous, and in this case more than a little curious to know about a half-shadow.

After all, the resistance are like family, and are always willing to accept more refugees, emotional baggage and all. God knows I had enough of that when they found me.

~..*..~

_Streak's POV_

It was a dark dawn that found us sitting on the faded beige carpet of my room, bandaging the results of our impromptu battle. It had lasted no more than half an hour, and yet already the time of twilight loomed on the horizon. My momentary distraction was ended by a suppressed hiss by the half pokemon in front of me. I froze, hesitant to do more damage, and the bandages slipped slightly in my loosened grasp. This time he growled, and I hastened to continue with my task.

In a corner, Shaymin observed us quietly, absently winding her small paws in with the tendrils of the carpet fabric. It brought back a flash of memory, of restricting vines in their thousands, glowing ethereally, winding and winding, until I could bear it no more, a feral snarl ripping through my teeth...

I shook my head, as if to physically shake myself of these thoughts. The self-loathing remained however, the large weeping gash on Moon's back a not so subtle reminder. The bandaging stopped again, as I paused to consider ways to continue; yet inflict minimal pain.

My chin rest lightly on the base of his neck, my head bowed and I sighed silently. Once again, I wished for a normal life. Here in this position I stayed for a short while, gathering myself together. While my will was strong, the grief in my heart was still raw, and the shadow was a constant irritant, rubbing my soul raw. Moon's wound seemed to mock me, the darkness in my heart whispering that it was my fault, all my fault.

From where my head was resting, I felt him shift and tilt his own towards me, his overgrown fringe brushing my own as he cleared his throat.

"Um, hey, uh...Streak, I understand that this may take a while, but I ain't got all day you know," He spoke suddenly, his voice slightly rough from not having conversed since before my change.

I felt a little hurt by his callous words at first, but I felt him shift again and realised that it was not venom that laced his voice, but concern. He was more socially awkward than me! I smiled inwardly at his conversational efforts, and felt my mouth curve upwards just a little at the edges. I looked up in acknowledgement of his sentence, my eyes twinkling slightly as I felt the shadow shrink back to the edges of my consciousness, away from my happiness.

He obviously wasn't mad at me, judging by the concern in his own crimson eyes, and for now it was enough. I chuckled a little at his expectant face, and saw it relax in response.

I decided to return to the task at hand, focusing completely on the bandaging, relying on the skills that had been drilled into me by way of constant practice from a very young age. When working in a laboratory, one needs to know all the health and safety procedures, in case of an emergency.

Over, around, up and back; over, around, up and back. Just letting go of my emotions for now and sinking into the familiar motions, I felt content and peaceful, the shadows almost quelled completely for now. How interesting, I wondered distractedly. They seemed to be very emotion-based, reacting violently to panic, stress or fear.

I gently drifted back to reality as the task neared completion. In the new state of awareness, I could feel the muscles across Moon's back tense with agitation and he kept making little noises that further hinted at his stress.

"Moon?" I inquired in a soothing voice. It seemed to work, I felt him jolt slightly, calm down, then sigh quietly, so quietly that I would never detected it had I not been in the middle of bandaging his shoulder. My arms were constantly close to him, enabling me to perceive the faintest breath or movement.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He answered brusquely. I could tell he was fretting over something, and by the way his gaze kept falling back to me, I knew immediately the object of his thoughts. He looked so worried, I decided he needed someone to support him and rid him of his doubts.

"No you're not." I reprimanded loudly, and I realised soon after that, in my haste, I provided neither a reason for my sudden protest nor did I curb the volume of my voice. I could still hear my proclamation echo in the small room. My face heated up almost instantly in embarrassment and I resisted the urge to bury it into my nightgown. I glanced at his amused face and decided to further clarify my objection to his condition.

"That's what Father would say when something went wrong in the lab. Mother said that nobody ever means it when they say it." I elucidated, my voice trailing off towards the end as my previously placated feelings of grief emerged again at the recent death of my loving parents.

While I fought to contain my tears, Moon looked at me in alarm and immediately turned to avoid my gaze. I wanted to explain that it wasn't his fault, that I was still in shock, but my throat choked up and I was unable to speak. The shadows in my heart seemed to attack my anguish, tearing down my walls and making sure to fill every empty crevasse in my soul with that sorrow.

"You did a good job," He mumbled, still examining his bandaged arm, Umbreon ears drooping ever so slightly. I sniffled and looked at him questioningly, hoping he would elaborate, anything to distract me from this mind-numbing sadness that had been triggered so suddenly.

"On the bandages." He grunted, after noticing my inquiring look. The haze in my mind cleared a little, and I was able to breathe a bit easier.

"You did a good job on the bandages, alright?" He finished, with a cough. He was focused on something in front of him, but I noticed his eyes flicker to the side and back again, assessing my reaction. His concern flooded through me, easily melting the shadow and once again restoring the volatile shadows to normalcy. I wrung my hands nervously, pleased by the praise, however awkwardly it was delivered.

"Who taught you first aid? They must be very apt at what they do." My face froze in place, the all-consuming shadow flooding through me again, and I tried once again to stop it from playing with my emotions.

It seemed that while I had stopped it from taking over my body, I still hadn't stopped it from ruling my emotions. I knew instinctively that over time I would be able to prevent it from penetrating my mental defences completely, but until then I was helpless, at the complete mercy of my emotions.

"No, wait, don't answer that, geez, if I'd known you'd react this way I wouldn't of said anything, and I'd have kept my foolish mouth shut." He started quickly, panicked by the look on my face.

How could I tell him that these weren't my emotions? While I felt grief for my lost family, it was nothing compared to the torrent that was hailing down on my present mind, manipulated by the shadows.

"Aw no, don't cry,-" He continued until he was unexpectedly cut off.

"It was my parents." The murmur that I hadn't even realised came from my own mouth stopped his voice. Immediately, the shadows calmed to a more noticeable level. It seemed that talking helped me reign it in, almost like I was sharing the burden. My eyes still burned with suppressed tears, but the clenching of my chest had subsided to a dull throb. I continued.

"They were scientists, dedicated to finding new ways to help and heal. We lived in the Old Chateau, in the Eterna Forest." We were still sat on that faded beige floor, my fingers grasping at the material like a lifeline.

Slowly, with an unsure look on his face, Moon reached over and wrapped my arms my around body. He was warm, and he smelt of disinfectant and of earthy pine trees. Of home. I closed my eyes and buried my face into the soft skin of his neck, letting the tears flow unchecked. After a while he hesitantly wrapped his strong arms more firmly around my waist, and rocked me gently. I felt calm; loved, and the shadows were nothing more than a mere puddle, lapping ineffectively at this warm feeling that blossomed inside my chest.

The shadow eradicated but for a trickle, I wiped my eyes and snuggled deeper into his torso. His shirtless torso. My eyes flew open. Ah.

He seemed to sense that I was done crying, and so patted my back and pulled away slowly, his face pulling into a smile when he noticed my no doubt very red face. I watched him bite back a comment as his eyes twinkled.

"Thanks." I said, unsure of what to say. He still had that good-natured look in his eye, and I had a feeling that behind his indifferent masks he was quite a sensitive person.

"Uh, you're welcome? I guess," He answered, then winced at the ineloquence of his response.

I watched as a thought suddenly occurred to him and he scowled at his shoulder. I gnawed nervously at my lip.

"Is your arm okay? Is it hurting you? I'm truly sorry; do you need me to do anything for you?" I fretted.

"No, like I said, you did a great job bandaging it." He quickly replied; a bit too quickly in my opinion. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion - he'd better not be hiding any more injuries.

"I was wondering if I could speak to Shaymin for a moment. Privately." He added swiftly, dropping a smile in my direction. I returned it with one of my own, all suspicion dropped for now.

"Of course." I replied good-naturedly. I yawned immediately thereafter, and caught the grey of the dawn through the window out of the corner of my eye. It had been a long night.

"I think I might go to sleep then." I continued, and turned towards what was once a bed frame. I saw Moon do the same. So much for catching a few hours sleep.

"You know..." I looked towards the owner of the voice as his face blushed. "You could just take my bed. Third room on the right, here are the keys."

I ignored the outstretched arm in favour of objecting his offer. He was clearly injured, he needed rest! I conveniently ignored the aching of my own ribs, from where I had bruised them earlier.

_Not bruised, cracked_, argued Shaymin. Since when could she read my mind? On second thoughts, perhaps I just wasn't hiding it as well as I thought. Nevertheless, I continued my opposition.

"No, no, I certainly couldn't take your bed, I mean, just look at your shoulder! I'll be fine!" I argued, gesturing towards his wound. Nobody missed the wince that followed. My torso started to throb sickeningly, leading me to assume that I had damaged something further by waving my arms about.

I heard Moon sigh with exasperation.

"So where will you sleep?" He asked. I didn't miss a beat.

"Where will _you_ sleep?" I answered back, proud that my voice didn't waver and expose me.

The half-pokemon huffed again and closed the small gap between us. He simply took my hand and pressed the cool metal into my palm. I reluctantly closed my fingers into a fist and looked down at my feet.

The cooks were waking up, and with my tuned shadow senses, I could smell the food being prepared. My stomach stirred with hunger pans and anxiety and I wondered despondently what I would do now. I had no money, no home and no place to go.

"Where do I go now," I whispered, biting my lips to prevent my voice from cracking with my unease. From what I could see of Moon's face, he knew what I was talking about. My palms were sweaty and the cool metal kept threatening to slip from my grasp. Just like my control on the shadow. I took a deep, wavering breath to calm myself down.

"I have friends in the resistance; they will know what to do. For now, at least, we will travel to the HQ in Hearthome City." He paused, looking thoughtful. "I know of a shortcut that will cut days off our journey, and doesn't require us to go through Mt. Coronet."

I looked up at him and saw his small smile. And as I returned it with one of mine, I felt something stir inside me. I felt hope.

* * *

**Author's Note: I lack inspiration and time to write this, so expect updates to be sporadic. I finally planned out the story, but it is considerably smaller than I expected...maybe around 75,000 words in total? Anyway, please review and give me feedback on my plot, character development and grammar/vocabulary. It all helps :D**

**Sorry it took so long, (yeah yeah, a whole year, I know,). By sheer coincidence, it was a year to this very day that I last updated. Funny how things go eh? Consider it a Christmas present! Merry Christmas!**

**Love,**

**-Moonlite Streak-**


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